(Newser)
–
At least 13 people are dead after a gunman opened fire inside a crowded dance bar in Thousand Oaks, California, Wednesday night, says Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean, per the AP. The fatalities include one deputy; the gunman also is among the dead. A witness tells the Los Angeles Times that at least 30 shots were fired after a gunman entered the Borderline Bar & Grill, a country-themed bar that was holding a college night, around 11:20pm. Ventura County Sheriff's Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian told reporters that the gunman was still firing when police arrived at the bar.

Witnesses say the gunman fired shots from a handgun after entering the crowded bar, threw some smoke grenades, then started firing again. Witness John Hedge says he saw a security guard get shot. "The gunman was throwing smoke grenades all over the place," he tells KABC. "I saw him point to the back of the cash register ... and he just kept firing. I ran out the front door," he says. The Los Angeles Times reports that friends of those who were inside the venue say the crowd included survivors of last year's Las Vegas mass shooting. (Read more mass shootings stories.)